Safety draft hooks



March 3, 1970 F. M. BRAWAND SAFETY DRAFT. .HOOKS" 6 Filed on. so, 1967 FRAN KLI N M. BRAWAND INVENTOR United States Patent Int. (:1. F16g /06 US. (:1. 59-93 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A draft line terminal member 10 can be disengaged from a load line holder 14 only by first swinging the member 10 to a position at right angles to the holder 14 and then turning the member 10 about an axis parallel to its longitudinal axis to swing tapered pins 24 out of undercut sockets 50. A draft line terminal member 70, to be disengaged from a load line holder 14, requires, in addition to the steps outlined above, the removal of a key keeper 69 from keyways 95 in the holder. The keeper has a bar 97 which is prevented from being moved into alignment with key portions 99 of the keyways except when the member 70 extends transversely of the holder 74.

This invention relates to improved safety draft hooks, and more particularly to safety draft hooks which require, for disassembly, sequential turning and twisting of draft line terminal members thereof relative to load line holders thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide new and improved safety draft hooks.

Another object of the invention is to provide safety draft hooks which require, for disassembly, sequential turning and twisting of draft line terminal members thereof relative to load line holders thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide safety draft hooks having load line holders provided with selfclearing sockets.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety draft hook having a load line holder provided with an undercut socket for receiving a pin of a terminal member having an enlarged head with the socket having a sloping side wall to permit the head to be swung out of the socket.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety draft hook having a key keeper normally preventing disassembly of a draft line terminal member and a load line holder and removable to permit such disassembly only when the member is turned to a position transverse to the holder.

The invention provides improved safety draft hooks each including a draft line terminal member and a load line holder. The load line holder has undercut sockets for receiving pins of the terminal members having enlarged head portitons with one wall of each socket sloping to prevent removal of the pin therein except when the terminal member is at right angles to the holder and is turned about an axis parallel to its longitudinal axis. A safety draft hook forming an alternate embodiment of the invention also includes a key keeper retained in keyways in a draft line holder to prevent disengagement of a terminal member from the holder.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description of improved safety draft hooks forming specific embodiments thereof, when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of an improved safety draft hook forming one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the hook of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front elevation view of an improved safety draft hook forming an alternate embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 a safety draft hook 8 forming one embodiment of the invention including a draft line terminal member 10 connected to a draft line 12 and a rigid load line holder 14 quickly and easily attachable to and detachable from the member 10. The load line holder is adapted to hold one or more load cables 16. The member 10 includes an eye portiton 18 and a shank portion 20 narrower and thicker than the eye portion. The eye portion has a pair of shoulder portions 22 at opposite sides of the shank portion. A pair of aligned and tapered or frustoconical pins 24 are joined integrally with the shank portion and have rounded outer end portions or heads 26. The pins taper from a large diameter at the end portions 26 to a somewhat smaller diameter at fillet portions 28 joining the pins to the shank portion 20, which has an arcuate end portion 30 extending laterally beyond the pins.

The load line holder 14 is generally C-shaped and includes an arcuate or substantially semicircular base portion 40, which is substantially circular in transverse cross section. The holder also includes arms 42 extending in converging directions from the base portion 40. The arms flatten or taper from thicker at the base portion 40 to thinner at the free ends of the arms, as illustrated in FIG. 1, and also taper from narrower at the ends of the base portion 40 to wide at the central portitons of the arms, as shown in FIG. 2. The free ends of the arms are rounded as shown in FIG. 1, and are substantially semicircular as viewed in FIG. 2.

The arms 42 have oppositely facing holes or sockets 50 therethrough which are narrower or undercut at end portions 52 of the sides thereof nearer the free ends of the arms and are wider and not undercut at end portions 54 of the sides more remote from the free ends of the arms. The end portions 52 of the sides and end side portions 56 of the holes are generally frustoconical and are generally complementary to adjacent portions of the pins 24 to define undercut sockets for receiving the pins. End side portions 58 of the holes slope upwardly and inwardly, as viewed in FIG. 1 to permit turning of the member 10 but to prevent facewise movement of the member 10 relative to the holder 14. Each wall 58 is substantially chordal to the pivot point of the member 10 when the member is turned about an axis parallel to its longitudinal axis to move the pins out of the sockets. The inner ends of the holes 50 are generally ovoid, as illustrated in FIG. 3, and the outer ends of the holes 50 are circular as illustrated in FIG. 2.

The member 10 is disassembled from the holder 14 only by swinging the member 10 to substantially a right angle position relative to the holder, and then turning the member 10 about an axis parallel to its longituidnal axis to swing the tapered pins 24 out of the sockets 50. The member 10 and the holder 14 are assembled by the reverse procedure.

EMBODIMENTS OF FIGS. 4 AND 5 A safety draft hook 68 is similar to the safety draft hook 8 except that the hook 68 includes a key keeper 69 which prevents accidental disengagement of a draft line terminal member 70 from a load line holder 74. The member 70 is identical with the member 10 except that the member 70 includes an arcuate, substantially semi-cylindrical, raised or collar portion 75 positioned between and concentric with aligned tapered pins 84 of the member 70. The member 70 includes an eye portion 78, a shank 80 and shoulders 82.

The load line holder 74 is identical with the load line holder 14 except that the holder 74 includes aligned keyways 89 at the upper ends of sockets 90 in arms 92. The key keeper 69 includes a longer rod portion 95 and a centered, shorter bar portion 97, and is adapted, only when the member 70 has been turned at least to a right angle position relative to the holder 74, to be endwise inserted into or removed from the keyways 89. Whenever the member 70 forms an angle of less than about 90 With the holder 70, the collar portion 75 is in the space between key slot portions 99 of the keyways 89 and in the way of the bar portion 95 to prevent the key keeper 69 from being fully inserted or from being turned into alignment with the keyways if the keeper is in its locking position with arbor end portions in cylindrical journaling portions of the keyways. The bar portion is sufficient short to clear the arms 92, when between the arms 92 to permit the keeper to be turned out of alignment with the keyways. The bar portion 97 and the end portions of the rod portion 95 are sufiiciently long to prevent either end portion to come out of its keyway with the bar portion is between the arms 92 and not aligned with the keyways.

The key keeper 69 keeps the member 70 from being turned on its longitudinal axis and thus prevents disengagement of the member 70 from the holder 74. However, the keeper can be easily removed from the holder, to permit disengagement of the member 7 and the holder 74, after the member 70 has been turned to a right angle position in which the collar portion 75 is out of the space between the keyways 89.

The above-described safety draft hooks 8 and 68 are rugged, and are easily manipulated for assembly and disassembly. The hook 8 serves excellently for logging operations, and the hook 68 is excellent for cargo handling operations where the hook is not always under load and without the keeper 69 might become accidentally disassembled. The members 10 and 70 can be disengaged from the holders 14 and 74 merely by swinging the member 14 or 74 to a right angle position and then turning the member 14 or 74 to swing one of its pins out of the corresponding sockets in the holder. The hooks can be assembled merely by the reverse of this procedure, With the keeper being inserted and turned after the member 70 in the case of the hook 68. The open sockets 50 and 90 are self-clearing of dirt and debris.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In a safety draft hook,

a draft line terminal member having a shank and a pair of pins projecting from opposite sides of the shank,

and a load line holder having a pair of arms provided with opposed sockets for receiving the pins,

the sockets being provided with converging sidewalls remote from the free ends of the arms to prevent simultaneous sidewise movement of the pins in the same direction out of the sockets and to permit turning of the terminal member about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the terminal member only when the shank of the terminal member is in a position extending primarily to a common plane through the arms transversely of the holder.

2. The safety draft hook of claim 1 wherein the sockets are undercut and the pins have enlarged head portions.

3. The safety draft hook of claim 2 wherein the sockets and the pins are tapered.

4 4. The safety draft hook of claim 3 wherein the ends of the pins are rounded.

5. The safety draft hook of claim 1 wherein the holder was aligned keyways at the side of the sockets remote from the free ends of the arm,

and a key keeper adapted to be slid into and out of the keyways when in a predetermined rotative position for preventing movement of the pins out of the sockets,

the key keeper and the shank of the holder having adjacent portions when the key keeper is in the keyways for preventing rotative movement of the key to said rotative position except when the terminal member is in a predetermined position relative to the holder.

6. The safety draft hook of claim 5 wherein the central portion of the key keeper is asymmetrical, the end portions of the key keeper and portions of the keyways are complementary and the keyways are provided with slot portions permitting endwise passage of the keeper therethrough when the keeper is in said rotative position.

7 The safety draft hook of claim 6 wherein the terminal member is provided with a raised arcuate blocking portion adapted to prevent rotation of the keeper to said rotative position except when the terminal member extends at right angles to the holder.

8. The safety draft hook of claim 5 wherein the keeper includes a rod portion having end portions adapted to fit rotatably in cylindrical portions of the keyways,

the keeper also including a keying bar at one side of the rod portion and adapted to engage the arms and prevent endwise movement of the keeper when not in said rotative position,

the keyways having aligned keying slots at the sides of the cylindrical portions to provide clearance for the keying bar when the keeper is in said rotative position.

9. The safety draft hook of claim 8 wherein the shank of the terminal member has an arcuate collar portion adapted to block movement of the keying bar into alignment with the slots in the keyway except when the terminal member is in a position extending transversely to the holder.

10. In a safety draft hook,

a load line terminal member having a shank and aligned pins secured to the shank,

a draft line holder having a pair of arms having opposed sockets for receiving the pins and permitting movement of the pins away from the ends of the arms to disengage the member from the holder,

the arms having keyhole type slots, and releasable keeper means for blocking movement of the pins away from the arms,

the keeper having pin-like end portions and a key-like central portion adapted to pass through the slots only when in a predetermined rotative position relative to the slots.

11. The safety draft hook of claim 10 wherein the shank of the terminal member is provided with an arcuate blocking collar adapted to block movement of the keeper to said rotative position wherever the terminal member is not in a position extending transversely to the holder.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,362,523 12/1920 Blouen 59-93 1,998,406 4/1935 Gouverneur 5985 3,161,930 12/1964 Crosson 294-82 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION P n NO- 3.498,051 Dated Margy 3 1970 Inventor-(x) Franl gn M. Brawand A i It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 55, "members" should be member Column 3, line 20, "sufficient" should be sufficiently line 25, "with" should be when lines 70 and 71 should read:

"tion extending primarily transversely to a common plane through the arms of the holder."

Column 4, line 4, "was" should be has SIGNED Mp SEALED Auszsm WILLIAM E- p m- Edward M. Fletcher, 1r. Gomissioner of Patents 

